When you want to have your stationary prop move, then you are going to need some of our pneumatic solenoids.
Pneumatic solenoid valves bring motion to the actuators in your animated props.
Select a pneumatic solenoid valve or part:
2-Way Solenoid Valves (ECONOMY)
These are simple electronic valve used to blow air only when you want it to. Think of them like the faucet for your garden hose. In your hose, water pressure is always pushing aginst the faucet, and only comes out the other side when the valve is opened (solenoid is triggered) which in this case, only happens when there is electricity going to it.
Can also be used as a "Spitter" to spray water on guests.
(These will not work with a cylinder unless the cylinder has a built-in exhaust port. Why? Because the air will stay trapped in the cylinder and air line which will prevent the cylinder from closing again)
3-Way Solenoid Valves (COMMON)
A step up from 2-Way valves. These have an air inlet, an air outlet and an exhaust port. There are 3 main advantages to a 3-Way valve versus a 2-Way valve:
1. They allow a much greater amount of air to flow through the valve and into your prop. Great for props that need a lot of lift or a quick lift.
2. They can be used with Single-Acting Cylinders with or without an air hole because the air can escape back through the solenoid and out the exhaust port (if open).
3. They allow you to control the exhaust coming out of the solenoid if you want to slow down the action on the tail end of your prop's motion.
4-Way Solenoid Valves (VERSATILE)
These valves offer the most versatility as they can be used for anything.
They actually have 5 ports:
One port is for air going IN from your compressor.
Two ports are for air going OUT to your prop's cylinders.
2 ports are for exhaust.
These valves are required for Double-Acting Cylinders.Why? Because they actually switch the direction of the airflow from going in the BOTTOM of your cylinder's inlet, to going in the TOP of your cylinders other port.This causes the cylinder to open or close very rapidly!
Other Benefits of 4-Way Valves:
More exhaust control to adjust speed of props.
Generally larger diameter inside the solenoid allows for more air to flow when needed.
Can also be used for any solenoid need that the one or two-way valves can do.
GLOSSARY:
PORT: This is the Thread size for the fittings that go into your solenoid.
VOLTAGE: Choose 110 volt AC, 12 Volt DC, or 24 Volt DC
*NOTE: Solenoids are not sold with fittings! Be sure to order the fittings you need here. If you need help figuring out which fittings to buy, you can either purchase the ones you want and send an email asking us to verify that you picked the correct ones, or you can call us at 1-877-295-5462 to discuss your needs.
Our pneumatic solenoids go hand in hand with our double acting cylinders to give you that unbelievable, eerie movement that the big time Hollywood props have. We sell everything from the simple 2 way pneumatic solenoids to the mega 4 way pneumatic solenoids, and you cant beat the prices either. Our 2 way is only $19.75 and our 4 way pneumatic solenoids are amazingly only $24.99. This allows you to have lots of scary animated props throughout your creepy Halloween haunted house.
If you are not someone who regularly works on mechanical objects like cars or props than you are probably asking yourself what is a solenoid, and why do I need one? What is a solenoid? Well the answer is really simple really, it is an electrical switch that when activated tells your air valves when to open and close, which in turn pushes air into your cylinders or "muscles", and propels them back and forth or in and out. There are different types of pneumatic solenoids too, so when you are asking what is a solenoid, you have to ask if you need one that is simple like a 2 way or a more complex one like the 4 way. If you are wanting to use these with a cylinder than you need a 3 way or better, since the 2 ways will not work with them unless it has a built in exhaust port, some place for the air to go, otherwise the air gets trapped inside the cylinder and will not retract. But 2 ways are really good to use to spit fluid onto your guests since it does not need to retract to do that, it is all one way, like a water hose. So the next thing you are probably asking when it comes to what is a solenoid is why is a 3 way or 4 way better? Well the 3 and 4 ways can work with the double acting cylinders since they have exhaust ports built in. 3 way solenoids have a air input, an air outlet and a exhaust port. Whereas a 4 way has 1 port for air to go in from the compressor, 2 ports pushing air into your props, and 2 exhaust ports. 4 ways are great too because they switch the air flow from going into the top of the cylinder to the bottom of the cylinder which gives it that really fast in and out motion.
Located inside the solenoids are air valves. These are little flaps that allow air to flow through when the solenoid is triggered and opens them, then the solenoid is activated again and closes them. These are a very necessary part to your pneumatic props since without them you would not have the air flow to push your cylinder in and out, which means no mechanical motion.
To get that perfect and scary animatronic motion from your Halloween props, then you really need to get the proper air flow to your props. This requires you to have pneumatic air valves inside your solenoid. Pneumatic valves are air powered and they open and close when triggered by the solenoid allowing air to flow freely through to the cylinders or "muscles". When you get the proper air flow through your pneumatic valves, it will propel your props to a whole new level, giving your static props animation and with enough air flowing through the pneumatic valves you will get lots of fast movement and startling effects. Or you can adjust the air flow through the pneumatic valves to go slower and then your props will move in a slow and creepy way.
